Up in the Down Under: Sydney and Brisbane

“Australia is not very exclusive. On the visa application they still ask if you’ve been convicted of a felony – although they are willing to give you a visa even if you haven’t been.” ~ P.J O'Rourke, “Holidays in Hell”

Sydney—particularly the Sydney Harbor—is beautiful.  The Opera House, Circular Quay, and the skyline in general all seem at once familiar and spectacularly fresh.

As this was my second time in Sydney, I passed on the usual tourist spots in the city.  Instead, the first day was spent with our friend Lee who lives just outside the city and graciously spent her day coming into town and visiting us on the ship.

On the second day, I boarded a bus to the infamous Blue Mountains, filled with beauty, fresh air, and charming towns.  On the way, we stopped at a wildlife park to visit with animals native to Australia.  Interestingly, the park is ringed with private homes.  I’m not sure I’d want to hang out my washing right next to the dingo enclosure, but indeed there was the laundry, downwind from all the scents the animals leave.

We then arrived in the mountains, and boarded the world’s steepest train, riding down at about a 90 degree angle, to a valley to view some fascinating flora.  Then, taking a tram back up top, we had magnificent views of the mountains, including the “three sisters”—limestone outcroppings of significance to the indigenous people and an iconic landmark to other Australians.

That evening, Beth and I enjoyed some wine on our balcony as we watched the Sydney skyline light up, and our ship sail off at 10:00 pm.  Farewell, lovely Sydney.

Our next stop was Brisbane, gateway to the gold coast.  Brisbane itself was interesting—a very clean city with, at least to my eye, no unifying architectural character, other than the fact that much seems to have been built to make most advantage of river views.

This was another wildlife viewing day, as Beth and I went off to a koala sanctuary, which also was home to a number of other Australian animals. There was an “opportunity” to hold a koala, which we passed on, both because of a long line and because of some uncertainty as to whether such things are good for the animals.  But we did see a number of koalas—yes, they are adorable—as well as quite a lot of kangaroos, and even a platypus (the latter being hard to spot).  The day was exceptionally hot and humid, but also wonderful.

Australia is fascinating in so many ways, not the least of which is that the vast majority of the land mass of the country is either sparsely inhabited or uninhabited.  Indeed, 97% of the populace live in metropolitan areas along the coast. 

Most Aussies we meet are friendly and outdoorsy, thus meeting the stereotype, but few are “outback rugged,” notwithstanding movies like Crocodile Dundee. There are quite a few Aussies on the ship, and we’ve made good friends of several, but I haven’t noticed any of them with long knives.

Mama kangaroo with joey in pouch.

Next up:  The Great Barrier Reef